Re:Ask HN: What is your take on being a better writer?
by kabdib on Saturday May 27, 2017 @03:12PM
(#14431467)
Practice regularly and non-trivially for a long period of time. Figure on years. (Joe Haldeman recommends writing 1,000 words a day for ten years).
Find an honest editor, someone who will give you objective feedback and correct your mistakes.
I wrote a bunch and thought I was pretty good at technical documentation, and hey, I've got this blog I maintain [well, less now]. Then a real editor got hold of an effort of mine and it came back to me with many, many corrections. And you know, it was a LOT better; I couldn't argue with any of it.
And I know that Strunk and White is out of style, but I still recommend it.
Find an honest editor, someone who will give you objective feedback and correct your mistakes.
I wrote a bunch and thought I was pretty good at technical documentation, and hey, I've got this blog I maintain [well, less now]. Then a real editor got hold of an effort of mine and it came back to me with many, many corrections. And you know, it was a LOT better; I couldn't argue with any of it.
And I know that Strunk and White is out of style, but I still recommend it.